No Need To Worry!
by EmmyGWrites
Summary: "Paul, I'm pregnant!" - Or, how Dawn and Paul came to be engaged. Ikarishipping one-shot


No Need To Worry!

A Pokemon fanfiction

Characters are used without permission, but with respect

* * *

"Paul," Dawn said grimly. "I'm pregnant."

She paused, and stared at herself resolutely in the bathroom mirror. Her face was serious, and she was fighting to keep it that way, pursing her lips and scrunching her eyebrows. It didn't work. Dawn could only hold the expression for a moment before she was overwhelmed by how ridiculous she looked, and groaned.

"No, no, no! Ugh!" Dawn buried her face in her hands and took a deep, long breath. "That's not it! Okay, let's try this again…" Exhaling, Dawn lowered her hands and stared into her mirror again. This time, she tried to smile. "Hey, Paul," she said in a sing-song voice. "There's something that I need to tell you…"

Dawn stopped mid-sentence and grimaced. No, she thought. That certainly wasn't any better. Thoroughly out of ideas, Dawn sighed and slumped her shoulders. In the mirror, her reflection did the same, and the sight doubled Dawn's misery.

"Ugh," she said again. Her gaze fell, to the bathroom counter, and the infernal device set down just by the sink. The pregnancy test. The one with the happy, pink plus sign.

For four years, Dawn and Paul had been seeing each other. Only the past two had been "official" - and even then, though Dawn referred to Paul as her boyfriend, she had never once heard the g-word out of his mouth. It didn't really bother her. Paul wasn't the outspoken, cheerful type, and he certainly wasn't the best communicator. It had taken years for Dawn to finally get him to come clean about his feelings for her, and it wasn't as if he'd magically opened up after that. Paul was quiet and private. He was a good foil for Dawn, who was often over-eager and talkative, and she didn't mind that he kept a lot of things to himself. Paul loved her. He had his own way of showing it - through his patient listening, tender touches, and quiet walks late at night. Although he didn't say it out loud, Dawn was sure of it, just like she was sure she loved him back.

What she wasn't sure of was how to tell him she was now carrying their child.

"Ugh!" Dawn said again, and in frustration she slammed her palms against the countertop.

This was so _not_ what she needed right now. The Sinnoh Grand Festival was next week, and though Dawn was the reigning champion, she knew how hard she was going to have to fight to keep that title. Over the years, she had flourished as a Coordinator - but so had Zoey and May and Kenny, all of whom would be in attendance and looking to take her down. In addition, she knew the Lily of the Valley Conference was coming up, and that Paul would be training rigorously. And on top of it all, Wallace had asked Dawn to help organize next year's Wallace Cup, and there were arrangements she needed to make and appointments she needed to keep. "I really have the worst timing ever," Dawn muttered to herself.

"Pip lup?" The tiny noise pried Dawn from her thoughts, and turning she saw that her starter pokemon was standing in the doorway of the bathroom, his head tilted to the side in concern.

"Hey, Piplup," Dawn forced a smile on her face, and then bent down to pick her starter pokemon up in her arms. Piplup fidgeted, and Dawn smoothed the fur on the top of his head.

"Lup pip pip!" The pokemon said to her, waving his tiny arms to emphasis his point. Dawn recognized the reassuring tone, and her smile relaxed.

"You're right," she said. "No need to worry! I can figure this out!"

"Lup pip!" the penguin agreed.

This time, Dawn turned to the mirror with confidence. Her face was a little blotched from frustration and certainly her hair could do with some brushing, but Dawn was not a clueless little girl, and she was certainly more than capable of telling her longtime boyfriend that she was with child.

Piplup stared at their reflections, too, looking poised and sure. Piplup had been Dawn's first pokemon, when she was only ten years old. A lot had changed over the years. Dawn had grown both as a Coordinator and a person. She and Paul had entered into a relationship - one that she held very dear. Likewise, Dawn had seen her friends and rivals grow and mature. But there were many things that hadn't changed, and one of those things were her pokemon. Dawn was twenty-two now, more than twice the age she'd been when she had first met Piplup, but her starter and the rest of her team still stood by her side. That thought made Dawn's heart swell. No matter what, her pokemon would stand by her, and remembering that gave Dawn the assurance she needed.

"Right," she said, to her reflection and Piplup both. Setting Piplup down on the counter, Dawn leaned over so she could look her pokemon in the eyes. "So, here's the plan. First - I have to tell Paul that I'm pregnant, and that he's the father. Second, I need to tell him that I want to keep the baby. Third, that if he doesn't want to be a part of the child's life, that's okay. I can raise it on my own. And fourth - I have to do it all without making a fool out of myself. I can do all that, can't I, Piplup?"

"Pip!" the pokemon said readily.

"Right!" Dawn said, standing up taller. "I totally can!"

"You can totally what?"

The voice came from the doorway just like Piplup's had, only it was deep and dark and took Dawn by such surprise that she jumped. Whirling around, she found Paul himself standing with his arms crossed in the doorway, and all of Dawn's confidence vanished in one single breath.

"P-Paul!" she stuttered out, her voice rising a full octave. "When did you get back?"

"Just now," Another thing that hadn't changed over the years - every time Paul spoke, he sounded mildly impatient. "Who were you talking to?"

"Just Piplup," Dawn tried to smile, but it came out more like a grimace. Suddenly she remembered the pregnancy test on the counter and panic filled her. That was _not_ how she wanted Paul to find out.

Without thinking, Dawn moved forward. When she was nervous, her movements became jerky, and this time it was especially bad. Her legs shook as she walked, and she quickly put her hands on Paul's chest and started to back him up out of the bathroom.

"What are you doing?" In addition to impatience, Paul's voice always carried a lilt of irritation. Dawn had long since gotten use to it, but today it cut deep and made her wince.

"Just - there's no room in the bathroom, you know?" Dawn let out a high-pithed, uneasy laugh. "Let's sit down, okay?"

Paul said nothing, but he allowed Dawn to hurry him away from the bathroom and the pregnancy test and into the heart of their hotel room. When the two of them had started dating, they had started traveling together. It didn't always work out - there were many times when they had to split up and arrange to meet back up somewhere - but when they were together, they shared a room in the Pokemon Center both to save on expenses and to further be able to enjoy each other's company.

Piplup followed the two of them out of the bathroom, ambling on his small feet. When Dawn glanced over her shoulder, her starter pokemon gave her a determined look. Dawn knew what he was trying to say - it was now or never. And he was right.

_I can do this_, Dawn said to herself firmly. _No need to worry!_ She took a deep breath, and only then noticed that Paul was staring at her with his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Fine!" Dawn said, far too quickly. Paul raised his eyebrows. "I've never been better." Her voice was shaking. "Really, Paul, I'm great - totally great! - I just…I have something to tell you."

"Okay," Paul said. He stared at her, and waited.

Slowly Dawn said, "I think you should sit down."

It was a small room, just like all the rooms in the Pokemon Center were. There was space enough only for a queen sized bed and a desk. Wordlessly, Paul sat down on the edge of the bed and looked straight up into Dawn's eyes.

"What is it?" Usually, Paul spoke only in short phrases. Today was no different.

For encouragement, Dawn glanced over at Piplup. Her starter pokemon waved his arms, as though gesturing her forward. Dawn turned back to Paul, and this time put both hands on her stomach. She swallowed. "Well…it's just…you - and me! And me, of course - um, well, we're…I mean, I'm…uh…"

Paul looked moments away from rolling his eyes. "Just say it, Dawn."

Dawn took a shallow breath, and locked eyes with Paul. In her mind's eye, she saw all the ways in which this could go terribly, horribly wrong. She knew Paul had not had a happy childhood, nor a good relationship with his parents. For Dawn - well, she loved her Mother with all her heart, but her father had walked out when she was so young she could scarcely remember him. There was a part of her that resented him for that. Now she was going to be the parent, and so was Paul. It was a prospect that felt both wonderful and terrifying to her, but she had no idea how it would feel to Paul.

Dawn had always wanted children. She'd had dreams of talking her daughter shopping, having pokemon battles against her son. But this wasn't a daydream - this was real. And it was Paul's child, too. She had to tell him, sooner rather than later.

_Just say it, Dawn._ Dawn closed her eyes, and did just that.

"We're going to be parents!" she blurted out, and then flushed scarlet as she opened her eyes.

What followed was dumbfounded silence. Paul stared at Dawn. Dawn stared back. Suddenly Dawn thought that perhaps Paul didn't want children. They had never discussed it; in fact, they had rarely spoken of the future at all. Mostly they lived in the present, enjoying each day and not worrying about what the next one would bring about. But now…well, that was no longer going to work. Not now that she was pregnant.

Then something strange happened. Paul smiled. Not sarcastically or mockingly, but out of genuine delight. In one swift movement, he leapt up from the bed, grabbed Dawn's face in his hands, and kissed her. He kissed her mouth, her eyelids, her nose, her chin, showing more affection than he had in years worth of dating and taking Dawn by utter, complete surprise.

"Paul!" Dawn cried out between kisses. It wasn't that she wasn't enjoying them - quite the opposite - but such adoration was out of character for Paul and it alarmed her. "What are you doing?"

As suddenly as he'd started, Paul stopped. "Well, you just said you're pregnant, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did."

"And I'm the father, right?"

Dawn's cheeks went red. "Of course! I haven't been-"

Paul cut her off with another sudden, passionate kiss. Dawn's surprise was lost in her delight, and without thinking Dawn hooked her hands around the back of Paul's neck and kissed him back.

When Paul pulled away, he said, "You just made me happy. That's all."

_That's all?_ Part of Dawn wanted to laugh. The other, larger part was still feeling very uneasy. "So…um…you're happy?" she asked tentatively.

"That's what I just said. How did you think I'd react?"

"I don't know," Dawn answered truthfully. She peered at Paul and found him staring at her, and immediately dropped her gaze. "So…um…I just wanted to talk to you about it."

"We're talking now, aren't we?"

_That_, Dawn thought, _is not what I meant_. Taking a breath, she said, "I want to talk about what this means for our future."

Paul went quiet, waiting for Dawn to continue. Before Dawn spoke, she put her hands on her stomach - a gesture, she realized, that was soon going to become regular and subconscious. "I know we didn't plan for this, Paul, but…I want to keep the baby."

"I can see that," Paul said.

"And I understand if - if you want me to raise it alone."

The quiet that followed was not pleasant.

"Why would I want you to do that?" Paul's tone was soft, and Dawn swallowed.

"Well," she said, more hoarsely than she'd intended. "It's just…this changes a lot of things. I mean, I'm probably going to have to miss the next Coordinating season 'cause of this, and maybe some more after that…and then, I can't really raise a baby in Pokemon Center rooms, so I'm going to have to get an apartment or move back in with my Mother…and then there's everything else. Actually raising the baby, you know?" Dawn's voice had quieted. "I would understand, if you wanted to keep traveling and leave all that to me."

Instead of meeting Paul's gaze, Dawn stared at her shoes. In a quiet voice, Paul asked, "Is that what you want, Dawn?"

"W-what?" Startled, Dawn looked up - and caught Paul's vulnerable expression, one of uncertainty. It was not something she usually saw. "I just - well, of course you're the father, and I want you to be a part of the child's life, but….I…I want you to be happy. If…" she trailed off.

"You don't think I would be happy raising a baby with you," Paul said. His voice was flat.

Feebly Dawn replied, "Well I - I wasn't sure. And I wanted you to have a choice, of course."

"Dawn," Gently, Paul crooked a single finger under Dawn's chin, and lifted her eyes to his. "I want _you_ to be happy. And I want to raise our child with you." Paul paused a moment, and an uncharacteristic blush crept up his face. "I'm here for you, alright? Anything you need, you just let me know. I'm going to be there every step of the way. Just like a Father should. Me and you…we'll do this together." Paul hesitated, and Dawn noticed doubt in his eyes. "Unless - you don't want me with you."

"Paul," Dawn said, and she reached out and took his hand. This time, the smile came easily to her face. "Of course I do! I want…" Dawn faltered, because she wasn't sure what to say. What did she want? She wanted to keep on Coordinating, and Paul to keep training, and for them to be happy together, with a baby they could love and adore. She already had what she wanted. "This." Dawn said, finally. "I want this."

Another of Paul's rare smiles graced his face, and the sight made Dawn's heart melt.

But then Paul cleared his throat, and he backed away. "There's one more thing," he said.

"What it is?"

"If we're going to do this," Paul said. "We might as well get married."

"M-Married?" The word made Dawn splutter. Her face turned beetroot red, and she very nearly fell over. "Paul, are you serious?"

"Of course I am."

"But - but -" Of course Dawn had always had dreams of marriage and children, and a number of them had even included Paul. But she had never imagined anything quite like this - and she certainly had not imagined that Paul would every bring himself to propose. She had thought it would be something she'd have to talk him into. "Are you sure you want to marry me, Paul?"

Paul arched an eyebrow at Dawn, confusion coloring his face. "Who else would I marry?" he asked.

It was one of the most romantic things Paul had ever said to Dawn, and he didn't realize it at all.

Still, it made Dawn smile again. "Okay," she said, and reached once more for Paul's hand. She felt like giggling. All at once her doubts about the Grand Festival, the baby, everything had evaporated. She had absolutely no need to worry. "Let's get married!"

"I do love you, you know," Paul said, in the same blasé, nonchalance voice he said everything in. Then he cleared his throat. "Besides, if we're going to be raising a baby, we're going to need the tax benefits."

* * *

Who doesn't love Paul?

In other news, I started a pokemon/writing blog recently. If you have time - check it out. polarluff . tumblr . com


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